Bombshell

noun

noun ·2 syllables ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any grenade, mortar shell, or artillery shell (hollow metal object) containing a charge that can explode. historical
  2. 2
    an explosive bomb or artillery shell wordnet
  3. 3
    Something that is very surprising, shocking, amazing or sensational. figuratively

    "Singer and Jeffreys had focused their attention on cancer risk, but the bombshell of the report was the danger to children."

  4. 4
    a shocking surprise wordnet
  5. 5
    Someone who is very attractive; a sex symbol. broadly

    "Diana Dors, the 1950s blonde bombshell"

Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    an entertainer who has a sensational effect wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
aerial bombantipersonnel bombastonishmentbeautiful womanblockbusterblow

Example

More examples

"The mayor dropped a bombshell at the news conference."

Etymology

From bomb + shell.

Related phrases

blonde bombshelldrop a bombshellsex symbol

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.